Thanks to near-universal education and the advance of technology, almost everyone can write now; whether through texts or emails, blogs or facebook posts. Writing has become ubiquitous, yet this wasn’t always the case. In centuries past, writing was a skill profession, and the vast majority of the population were illiterate.

On this day, October 20, in 2009, the National Council of Teachers of English celebrated the first National Day on Writing in an attempt to restore appreciation for the art of writing and to highlight the many unique forms of the art.

Written communication of today has changed drastically from what it was several decades prior, the NCTE noted. Citing a research poll that showed home writing and school writing increasingly diverging in style, they called for teachers to integrate the modern concepts and methods important to teenagers.